Mourning Minx
by Buzzybee15
Summary: "You and your filthy father would know, wouldn't you? After all, he was there when he died. I bet he laughed because he's a coward who wouldn't save the life of the most perfect boy at Hogwarts because he decided to be You Know Who's lap dog." REVIEW!


Cho was alone as she walked down the aisle on the Hogwarts Express. It was the beginning of her sixth year, her first year with no friends. Cho glanced in to compartment after compartment, trying to find an empty one. She saw her former friends crammed into a compartment giggling and flipping their hair. They all became quiet when they saw her standing there, her face a morose ghost of its previously happy and carefree resident.

Her countenance had become terminally pink from crying all summer and nothing could change that. Her life had taken a monotonous turn after Cedric's death: cry for Cedric, mourn Cedric, and wish Cedric were with her. She had sworn not to talk about it to anyone but her closest friends, but she and Cedric had become engaged before the third challenge; her promise to marry him could never be fulfilled.

Cho continued on, not catching anyone's eyes, it would only depress them. The trolley with everything from Licorice Wands to Pumpkin Pasties passed by and made her feel sick even to look at them. She had been denying her parents' efforts to get her to eat something for most of the summer. Cho had become quite thin and her raven hair had lost its sheen. A lonely tear slid down her high cheekbone and landed on her dark sweater.

Finally, she found an empty compartment where she could wallow in self-pity alone. She sat down, perfect posture, on the cushioned seat. Her fits of weeping had a routine. Her lower lip quiver and her eyes slowly turned pink from the expected tears. Then she raised her head to the ceiling and closed her eyes and whimpered. There was moaning, her fits had become much quieter due to the annoyance of her family at the loudness of her despair. The once elegant swan had turned into a mourning dove, her beauty been muted and left her only radiant.

She heard the voices and footsteps but ignored them. All she wanted was to drown in her tears. She lay down on the seat and closed her eyes, hoping to cry herself to sleep as she had done so many times over the summer. She would have fallen asleep easily if the voices had not been so loud.

"No, no, and no. I am absolutely not going to share a compartment with that little skank." Said a drawling and arrogant voice. If Cho cared enough for reason, she would have been willing to bet it was a Slytherin due to the characteristic condescension.

"Look, Mate, I would agree with you but there are two obstacles you fail to acknowledge." Reasoned another voice, calmer and smoother than the first. "The first is that, from what I can see, the only compartment with any other seat is this one and it seems to be occupied by the Womping Willow." There was a silence as the arrogant one considered this.

"And the other?"

"Parkinson may be a skank, but she is with Goyle. I know your still pissed that they slept together while she was with you but…"

"You disagree?"

"I didn't say that." The calm voice soothed. "But there isn't much that will tear her from his lap so…you're stuck with her. She's a bitch and a whore but the way I see it, you can't escape her. Suck it up, and come with us."

"You're not exactly selling it, mate." The arrogant voice said in a more petulant voice.

"Just telling it like it is." You could hear the voice shrug.

"It looks like I'm with Ravencry, then." The arrogant voice sighed, sliding Cho's compartment door open.

"Want me to come?" Asked the calm voice halfheartedly.

"No, it's alright. Besides, didn't you say you wanted to try snogging Greengrass this year?" The calmer voice chuckled and clapped his companion on the back.

"I'll see you later then, Draco." Cho heard only one pair of footsteps carry on down the aisle and another enter her compartment. She pretended to be asleep and turned over so that she was facing the wall.

"Poor little minx." Whispered Draco. "She'd be quite pretty if she'd just stop crying." This would have angered Cho if she hadn't been too exhausted to yell. Her voice came out between a croak and a whisper.

"How would you feel, if the best thing that had ever happened to you was taken by a heartless bastard?" She was still facing the wall and her eyes were still closed, but there was still a certain amount of awareness about her and she could tell that the boy was shocked at her response.

"I didn't know you were awake." He mumbled. This was the first Cho had ever known Draco not to throw some insult her way about dating the pretty boy or being best in her year.

"I haven't been awake in three months you insensitive git." Cho retorted, working up the energy to be combative for the first time in…ever.

"Well you should, Sleeping Beauty, because he's not coming back." Draco said, it was unclear whether it was supposed to be taunting or some twisted form of comfort. Cho was almost dizzy as she sat up straight and pointed her wand at the platinum blonde Slytherin in front her all in one motion.

"You and your filthy father would know, wouldn't you? After all, he was there when he died. I bet he laughed because he's a coward who wouldn't save the life of the most perfect boy at Hogwarts because he decided to be You Know Who's lap dog." She accused, tears of anger streaming down her face.

"Don't you dare talk about my father like that! He wasn't there when Cedric was killed. He won't tell me anything, he never does." Draco said defensively, eyeing Cho's wand timidly.

"Don't worry, Malfoy. When you join up with the Death Eaters you're precious daddy will gladly make you his confidante and you'll get the exact details of how the world came to an end, starting with Cedric." Cho said, becoming weary again and collapsing in her seat.

"Well I bloody well hope not." He muttered but Cho ignored this, staring desperately out the window. "Have you eaten anything?" Draco suddenly blurted out. Cho sent tired eyes over at him before turning back to the window.

"No." She mumbled. Trying to put the annoying little ferret from her mind.

"When was the last time you ate something?" He pressed, sounding almost worried.

"If I didn't know you're character, Malfoy, I would say you were almost concerned." She whispered, rolling her eyes. When he didn't continue, she sighed and thought for a minute. "Yesterday morning, I think." Honestly she couldn't remember for sure. She thought she recalled her mother pushing a plate of waffles in her general direction yesterday but she couldn't say for certain whether she had tried them.

"_Yesterday morning?_" Malfoy said, shocked.

"I _think_ so."

"You _think?_" He gaped incredulously.

"Why the hell do you care?" Cho asked, looking at him in confused disgust.

"Because Saint Potter would likely jinx me if you died of starvation while stuck in a compartment with me." Draco excused, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Don't you two not get on well anyway?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well yes but I'd rather piss him off by myself than having the girl he fancies collapse from starvation." Said Draco, shrugging his broad shoulders. Cho ignored his statement, she had guessed that Harry had fancied her but she had been happily dating Cedric at the time. Now…she couldn't really make out her feelings for Harry. Sure he wasn't bad looking and was there when Cedric died, perhaps she could talk to him about Cedric, after all, he would understand. Her thoughts were interrupted as Malfoy stood up as the trolley passed by. Cho couldn't really hear what he was saying but he returned with his arms full of sweets.

"Eat." He commanded shoving half of the lot in her direction. At first, it looked as though she was going to decline, but she tentatively picked out a chocolate frog and took a small bite.

At first, she thought she was going to vomit, but then the nausea faded away and all Cho could think about was how hungry she was. She expected Draco to be disgusted at her pig-like actions. She glanced up at him but found his nose in a book. She shrugged and continued through the pile. When she was about half-way through, Draco spoke, not looking up from his book.

"You know, I'm no happier about Cedric than the next guy. I suppose someone else will have to be the golden boy now." Said Draco, trying to make small talk. It was no small talk to Cho who gulped down her candy.

"He was possibly the best boy at the school, Malfoy. I loved him, I wanted to _marry _him and now he's gone and I'm alone." She hissed before taking a bite of her licorice wand. Draco looked up, surprised at her little outburst, but then he quickly became serious.

"Look, Chang, I'm not saying this because I care about Potty, but you actually have a chance at happiness again if you give the bloke a shot. Don't screw it up, because he doesn't need you as much as he thinks he does." Said the Ferret. He didn't sound like the egotistic Malfoy, but instead he sounded like Draco; and the two were very different, mind you. Cho considered this for a moment, she wasn't sure if she was supposed to be insulted or more aware. She decided to put it on a shelf in her mind and analyze it later. A question had popped into her mind and she knew that there was no better time to ask, seeing as Draco could turn back into Malfoy at any moment now.

"Why do you hate Harry?" She asked, turning her head to the side. Draco looked up curiously before turning back to his reading.

"I don't hate him. I think he's the best chance the world has got for peace. I hate that he thinks I'm scum." Draco said simply.

"Is that all?" Cho asked, surprised that Draco would confide this in her.

"That, and…" He seemed to weigh the question again in his mind. "He's everything I wish I was." Cho was about to continue but the train came to a screeching halt. Both stood at the same time and, wordlessly, they shook hands and Cho rushed out of the compartment, her mind clearer and her eyes dryer. Blaise appeared at the window as Goyle and Pansy frolicked past like sparrows.

"How was your ride?" Draco asked, joining his best friend. Blaise's cheerful demeanor was a nice change from the morose ambiance of the train ride he had been trapped in.

"Alright, snogged Greengrass like there was no tomorrow." He said, smirking.

"Charming, Blaise." Draco said, wrinkling his nose.

"Only joking, Drake, but I did snog her. How was your ride with the Chang girl?" Blaise asked curiously and a bit more quietly.

"Enlightening." Was all Draco said and Zabini didn't press further.


End file.
